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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25834285">Dark Web</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elexica/pseuds/Elexica'>Elexica</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Elexica does AU-gust 2020 [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hackers (1995), Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU-gust 2020, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Established Relationship, M/M, drug reference but it's small, internet pirates, of a sort, ygocollablove</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:41:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>870</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25834285</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elexica/pseuds/Elexica</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You wouldn't download a car.</p><p>Kaiba would.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Elexica does AU-gust 2020 [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860052</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>AUgust 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Dark Web</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For AU-Gust Day 10 - Pirates</p><p>They didn't say what pirates, so I present to you: cyberpunk Kaiba, the og hacktivist, the homeless hacker, the nightmare behind a keyboard... I digress.</p><p>Intentionally Hackers (1995) vibes.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s not that Jounouchi had other plans for the evening, it’s just that he would have appreciated the heads up.  Kaiba always seemed to have him at a disadvantage.  Tonight he'd shown up in the half-an-hour Joey had been at the bodega across the street.</p><p>Kaiba was monopolizing his couch, extension cord, and dial-up access.  Kaiba's blue eyes peered over the blue-tinted miniature computer glasses.  His eyes were ringed by smudgy black kohl.  At one point it was probably neat, knowing Kaiba.  But the bags under his eyes told Joey he was on the run again, and probably hadn’t washed his face in a couple of days.</p><p>Kaiba, in his full tech-punk gear was hardly an unwelcome sight.  Joey was familiar with the three rings and a stud that snaked up the shell of his ear.  In the two months since he’d last seen him, it appeared that Kaiba had gotten another ear piercing, adding an industrial bar threated across the helix of his ear.  The curved bar framing his left eyebrow had finally healed.  Little blue rhinestones dotted above and below his over-plucked eyebrow.</p><p>The black mesh, midriff-baring tank top was also a sight for sore eyes.  The baggy black cargo pants were somewhat less enticing.  Wires leaked from the fat pockets at the top of the pants, and the lower pockets were stretched to accommodate the harsh square outline of stacks of floppy discs.  The studded belt was mostly ornamental, but carabiners held various accouterments of Kaiba’s nomad lifestyle.</p><p>Joey looked at the keyring of USB drives hanging from the chain around his neck next to the Duel Monster’s card locket on its rope.  Joey spotted a few new ones, and some familiar pieces.  The tech had only been released a year prior, but of course Kaiba had already hoarded several.  A black one was labelled in silver sharpie “J.”  Joey suspected it had something to do with him.  </p><p>Joey just wished he wouldn’t put his heavy black Doc Marten boots on the couch.  It was gross, and it wasn’t like Joey had a house cleaner.  He didn’t much know how people were supposed to clean couches anyway.  Wet towel maybe?</p><p>Joey knew better than to ask anything about whatever mess had Kaiba couch-surfing again.  Last time, it had been corporate espionage at Industrial Illusions.  Kaiba would’ve been arrested if he hadn’t uncovered excellent blackmail material.  Instead, a hit had been put out on him. </p><p>The time before that, he had planted a virus in the code for Gozaburo’s newest war machine.  That wasn’t the first occasion Kaiba had been kicked out of the house, but it might have been the last, since Joey didn’t know that Kaiba had been to the manor since.</p><p>“Hungry?” </p><p>Kaiba shrugged, reaching for a silver water bottle attached to his belt with a carabiner.  There was no way it was comfortable or effective to walk like that, Joey thought, but he didn’t point it out.  His boyfriend was dramatic that way, and Joey had to admit he rather liked it. </p><p>Joey went to cook a grilled cheese on the hot plate near the window.  The city lights were receding; the neighboring apartments lights were on too bright, and he couldn’t see much past the metal facades.</p><p>“Sometimes I don’t understand why you live like this,” Joey said, mostly to himself.  Kaiba’s responses were few and far between on days like this.  “You could be in a mansion, eating whateva you want, playing video games, inheriting the biggest company in… I guess you don’t wanna watch the world go to shit, be part of the machine, an' all, but I still don't get it.”</p><p>Joey looked over, and true to form Kaiba was still tapping away on his big-ass grey laptop.  His black nail polish was pretty severely chipped.  He really did look like he was fraying at the seams.  Kaiba was always in a lot of trouble, but something seemed a little more dire this time.</p><p>“Where’d ya put yer bag, babe?”  Joey asked as he flipped the grilled cheese.  A bit of butter splatter hit his jeans.</p><p>“Don’t have it anymore.”  Kaiba didn’t look away from the screen. </p><p>“Didja lose it?” Joey asked, not trying to camouflage his shock.  He’d never seen Kaiba at his house without the big black duffel bag containing his overnight things.</p><p>“Safe house was compromised.  All I got was the <em>briefcase</em>.”  The briefcase was a nickname for the shitty grey messenger bag that held Kaiba’s computer, a spare pair of underwear, condoms, an external hard drive, a sharpie, and a baggie of research drugs.  It was hardly a go-bag.  It was an appendage.</p><p>Joey plated the grilled cheese.  “Yer in deep shit this time.” </p><p>Kaiba’s head bobbed and the clicking of the keys stopped for a long moment.  “I’m running out of options.”</p><p>Empty red bull cans were jostled as Joey dropped the sandwich plate on the crowded coffee table.  “You’ll figure it out.  Ya always do.” </p><p>The lock on the door clicked, and Joey fasted the deadbolt.  “You know you can stay here as long as ya need.”  He returned, and pressed a kiss to the crown of his boyfriend’s hair.  “But you gotta shower.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In 2006, Kaiba will get arrested for uploading ygotas to youtube over and over again.</p><p>This was not an excuse just to write Kaiba with piercings.  Of course not.  No way.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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